1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a dreadful hurricane
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in awful
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
a dreadful performance of a beautiful piece of music
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3
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
dreadful news of a crime wave in the neighborhood
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4
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
the dreadful heat of the desert
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5
as in sheer
having no exceptions or restrictions
made a dreadful mess of his first marriage
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dreadful
My fifth and final Super Bowl, in 2014, outdoors at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., was a dreadful Seattle Seahawks’ drubbing of the Denver Broncos.
—
Harvey Araton, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
Just how much longer will American parents, their kids, business leaders and the political class tolerate the dreadful performance of our public schools?
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2025
San Antonio also unloaded its worst recent mistake, a dreadful contract extension for Zach Collins that would have paid him $18 million next year.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
For the Giants, the seats are hotter than ever for head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, who return despite last year’s dreadful 3-14 campaign.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Harvey Araton, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
Just how much longer will American parents, their kids, business leaders and the political class tolerate the dreadful performance of our public schools?
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2025
San Antonio also unloaded its worst recent mistake, a dreadful contract extension for Zach Collins that would have paid him $18 million next year.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
For the Giants, the seats are hotter than ever for head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, who return despite last year’s dreadful 3-14 campaign.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful
Adjective
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The harsh environment, mostly devoid of human presence, feels almost terrifying in its vastness—but that feeling quickly gives way to awe and excitement.—
Dobrina Zhekova,
Vogue,
4 Mar. 2025
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The terrifying incident unfolded Saturday morning, shortly after the Boeing 767 lifted off from its runway at Newark Liberty Airport.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Fairfield County corridor is infamously awful, according to Potamkin Hyundai, with the Stamford stretch recently ranking as the number one busiest highway segment in the entire country.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
10 Mar. 2025
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But Ovechkin has been scoring 50 goals (a season) for an awful long time now.—
Homero De la Fuente,
CNN,
9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The horrific apparent overdose came a day after a drug-dealing operator of a Bronx day care was sentenced to 45 years in prison for the death of a toddler exposed to fentanyl and the overdoses of three other children who survived.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
5 Mar. 2025
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Read Next California Toddler disfigured by burns in ‘horrific’ child endangerment case in CA.—
Mike Stunson,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The intense gravitational pull from the black hole rips the two stars apart, capturing one star into a close orbit around it, notes the center.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
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This film transitions between moments of intense governmental and political drama, and moments of sympathetic, emotional anguish with the Hernandez family.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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While the sheer number of krill in the Southern Ocean means the species is unlikely to face an acute threat to its survival in the near term, Savoca is quick to point out that numbers are no guarantee of success.—
Gabe Castro-Root,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 Mar. 2025
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The individual cores may not be as powerful as those on the Mac Studio with M4 Max, but the sheer number of CPU and GPU cores will deliver top performance in the most demanding applications.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Some compare Sanders to Geno Smith — not flattering, but not horrible.—
Troy Renck,
Orlando Sentinel,
2 Mar. 2025
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Everybody's going to be thrown, according to , into all these horrible situations.—
Hugh Cameron,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The 24-year-old displayed all of the good, the bad and the ugly in a 25-game stretch when called up to the majors last season when starting catcher Gabriel Moreno was injured.—
Chuck Murr,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
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Imagine the classic tale The Ugly Duckling, by Hans Christian Andersen — only, in this version, the ugly duckling doesn’t mature into a beautiful swan.—
Matt Kracht,
People.com,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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On September 2, 1885, in one of the most gruesome episodes of racial terror in American history, a group of white miners killed at least twenty-eight Chinese residents in Rock Springs and burned down the town’s Chinese quarter.—
Michael Luo,
The New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2025
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The Fallen Sun stands out not just as a cop procedural, but also as a thriller that never shys away from the gruesome nature of the killer’s crime spree.—
Sezin Koehler,
EW.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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